Ben Davies signs: How Leeds United's dream summer transfer window could look | OneFootball

Leeds United could be set for an immediate return to the Premier League, which would see a number of changes this summer in the transfer market.

Not least, there are plenty of players who left the club due to loan clauses in their contract who will need to have their future at Elland Road resolved as quickly as possible, in order for the club to then focus on incomings for Daniel Farke.

Leeds have decisions to make on many current squad members between now and June, too, with fringe players in need of a move elsewhere to kick on in their respective careers, whilst recruitment calls will be well underway, irrespective of which league they are in.

Farke has to manage with the team at his disposal for now, and the German has plenty of time to assess his squad further and pick out any other issues that need addressing, whilst he still has at least eight more games to make further decisions on personnel.

Two departures have already been confirmed, with Robin Koch agreeing a pre-contract deal with his current loan club, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Luis Sinisterra a permanent deal with AFC Bournemouth ahead of the summer.

With promotion very much in mind, here, we take a look at what Leeds' summer window could look like, should they be a Premier League side this summer.

Out: Stuart Dallas (contract expiry)

It is unlikely that Dallas will be offered fresh terms beyond next summer. Of course, he is a fan favourite at Elland Road and succumbed to a terrible femoral fracture all the way back in April 2022 against Manchester City and is yet to return to action since.

Out: Joe Gelhardt (loan)

Gelhardt's future in West Yorkshire is unclear, with his development stalling over the last couple of seasons. However, there is talent there, and the club could instead seek a loan in order to get his career back on track, with the idea of utilising him in 2025/26 instead.

Out: Rasmus Kristensen (transfer fee)

Kristensen played 30 games for the Whites last season, scoring three times and registering a solitary assist, too. The club will almost certainly take whatever they can get for Kristensen during the summer, as he has been a largely forgettable signing, and most of the players who received loan moves are unlikely to be involved next season.

Out: Luke Ayling (contract expiry)

Another long-serving player is the right-back. He, like Dallas, is currently also 32, but unlike Dallas, he has a clean bill of health and had been involved in the early parts of the season, before his game time diminished and Ayling moved to Middlesbrough on loan. A Leeds player since 2016, it appears that Ayling's days as a White are effectively over.

Firpo's persistent injury issues are a concern, and Leeds may be minded to move him on, even with good recent displays in the Championship, due to his high wage and also being in the last year of his deal with the club, meaning he could command a small fee, and it's the last chance they have to cash in on the 27-year-old.

Llorente joined AS Roma on loan last year, midway through the campaign. Relegation saw another move for the Spaniard as it was announced in the summer that he would re-join the club, and there is the potential for that to become a permanent deal as well.

Gyabi is a player benefitting from regular minutes with Plymouth Argyle now in the second half of the season, and another loan is the best plan of action again this summer. This time for a full season of second tier development with the hope of integrating him properly to the first-team in 2025/26.

Not granting Bate a loan in the summer was somewhat of a mistake, as the former Chelsea prospect spent last season on loan in the third tier with Oxford United and impressed by all accounts, and has now moved to MK Dons on loan, which effectively has ended his career with Leeds, much like Ayling with his loan.

Out: Mateo Joseph (loan)

Joseph's fleeting minutes from the bench and irregular starts have been of benefit, as he looks like a player who is starting to really kick on in his development. However, a way to accelerate that would be to send him out for a full year of football on loan. Leeds should look for a senior centre-forward to lead the line next season but Joseph's future remains bright in West Yorkshire.

The Austrian defender only joined the Whites in January of last year but he has been fairly decent on loan with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga so far, and there is every chance he has permanent suitors in a top-flight league somewhere this summer.

Out: Jack Harrison (transfer fee)

Harrison's future with the club looks all but over, after Everton completed the signing of the winger in the summer on a season-long loan, where he has been heavily involved at Goodison Park. If Everton survive and can free up the funds for him, then it's fairly likely that's where his future will be. If not, then there will be plenty of interested Premier League sides elsewhere.

Out: Ian Poveda (contract expiry)

Poveda is another who has failed to rip up any trees on loan with Blackburn Rovers and then Blackpool in the Championship, and been very much on the fringes of the first-team this season as well. However, a good loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday is sure to do some good in securing a contract somewhere in the second tier next season.

The Spaniard made 32 league appearances for the Whites last season, impressing early on in the season in his partnership with Tyler Adams, but fading when the USMNT captain suffered an injury in February of last year. He has largely impressed back in Spain with Real Betis, which should make selling him easier for Leeds, to one of Spanish football's top-flight sides.

Out: Sam Greenwood (transfer fee)

According to The Athletic, Middlesbrough have a £1.5 million option to buy with Leeds as part of their loan agreement for Greenwood. They are not guaranteed to activate it, but it is a sign of Leeds' intent to sell the versatile attacking-midfielder. He could also be loaned once again, but if the club are able to cash in, then they more than likely will.

Out: Cody Drameh (transfer fee)

The chances of Cody Drameh agreeing fresh terms at Elland Road are slim to none. For one reason or another, the young right-back has often cut a peripheral figure and has failed to ever ignite the same performances for Leeds as he had done while on loan with Cardiff City and Luton Town. Birmingham City have an agreement in place at the end of the season, and there is every chance they activate it.

Aaronson came to the Whites with a decent reputation from his time in Austria with RB Salzburg, and good potential at the age of just 22, but what Leeds were served up on the pitch was not worth the reported fee of close to £25 million. They are unlikely to make back enough of that money this summer, making another loan the best plan of action, having also struggled at Union Berlin.

It's not abundantly clear what is next for Byram's Leeds career, with the 30-year-old impressing in both full-back positions in the first half of the campaign. He is also a player Farke knows well and continuity could be a reason to extend his deal, but injuries have caught up to him in the second half of the season, and his place in the pecking order has also dropped. Perhaps the Whites will look for younger, less injury prone options at full-back instead.

Out: Liam Cooper (contract expiry)

There may be somewhat of a changing of the guard for Leeds currently occurring. Some leadership figures with experience and know-how ought to be retained and one could be the 32-year-old, irrespective of promotion or not, but it feels less and less likely by the game, with Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu preferred at left-sided centre-back.

Cresswell is in the same position as players like Gelhardt in many ways, with developmental minutes needed at senior level, as opposed to languishing within Leeds' reserves or on the fringes of the first-team with very little game time to speak of this term. He has benefited from a Championship loan before, and should be in line to do so again next season.

Now, onto the incomings....

In: Joe Rodon (transfer fee)

There is plenty to be said of continuity in many areas of a squad once it gains promotion. Ripping things up completely is the wrong way to go and Rodon is perhaps the most obvious first signing for plenty of those reasons and more. He has been imperious at the heart of Leeds’ defence and has plenty of relationships forming with players both on and off the pitch.

The Spurs loanee ought to be one of the highest priorities for the club. He is in the last year of his contract and surplus to requirements with his parent club, which will aid Leeds in any pursuit of his services this summer.